Morocco’s banking sector is entering a period of deep change, driven by a new banking law, competition from neobanks and “super apps,” and shifting ownership structures, Aujourd’hui le Maroc reports. Bank Al-Maghrib’s board is set to hold its penultimate 2026 session this month, shortly after the publication of a new law amending the framework governing credit institutions and the central bank’s own statute.
Economy and Finance Minister Nadia Fettah told Parliament the legislation responds to accelerating global economic and financial shifts and the growing interconnection of financial systems, requiring more robust legal and regulatory tools to manage crises and limit their effects.
Among the law’s key innovations is a new bank resolution mechanism entrusted to an authority chaired by Bank Al-Maghrib’s governor and composed of eight members, alongside procedures and safeguards to protect creditors and depositors, and a resolution financing mechanism built on the Collective Deposit Guarantee Fund. The text also allows exceptional state support as a last resort, with officials framing the law as essential to helping the Kingdom keep pace with rapid changes in the banking sector.
Competition is intensifying as AI and digital technology reshape banking practices, with Morocco’s first neobank already launched and other “super apps” expected to enter the market in the coming months or years, driven by rising consumer demand for new financial and banking solutions delivered through digital channels.
The sector is also seeing shifts in ownership, with Morocco’s Competition Council confirming in June a notification concerning Holmarcom Finance Company’s planned acquisition of exclusive control over BMCI. Holmarcom, an 81.98 percent-owned subsidiary of Holmarcom SA active in insurance, banking and specialized financial services, had already acquired a majority stake in Crédit du Maroc alongside Crédit Agricole in 2022 and held a stake in CIH Bank.
On CIH Bank, Morocco’s securities regulator (AMMC) said the Caisse de Dépôt et de Gestion (CDG) sold 1,815,738 CIH shares on July 14 at 354 dirhams each, dropping directly below the 5 percent direct-ownership threshold; CDG still holds 19,636,157 CIH shares indirectly, or 55.15 percent of capital, through its Massira Capital Management subsidiary, and plans to halt further sales on the stock for six months while remaining on CIH’s board. Separately, Bank Al-Maghrib’s board held its second quarterly meeting of 2026 on June 23 and kept its policy rate unchanged at 2.25 percent, citing inflation near its medium-term target, consolidating economic activity, and strong uncertainty around the international outlook, itself shaped by the Middle East conflict’s disruption of supply chains.
